Common entrance test for medical college admissions will put TN students, especially from rural backgrounds and those from Tamil medium at a disadvantage and hence wants to opt out of NEET, that the centre has devised.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu government is flush with success – over Jallikattu after it managed to prevail over the centre and found a way out of the SC ban order on bull taming sport. Now Tamil Nadu government wants to tame another bull – in the form of the common admission test for medical students devised by the central government, which was also mandated by the Supreme Court.

A common entrance test for medical college admissions has been thought of to counter the hefty donations and capitation fee colleges that have made medical education a huge business. Strict enforcement of the common entrance test, it was thought would be able to tackle this menace that has made medical education out of reach for many deserving but poor students.

But, Tamil Nadu has got its own special reasons for opposing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), that was sought to be introduced in the last academic year. Tamil Nadu was exempted from the examinations after the centre promulgated an Ordinance last year, but the then chief minister J Jayalalithaa wanted a more permanent solution and had argued out a case for doing away with the NEET as proposed by the centre.

On Tuesday, TN government tabled a bill to do away with NEET in the state assembly. Minister for health and family welfare, C Vijayabaskar, introduced the bill saying that NEET will put thousands of students from Tamil Nadu at a disadvantage vis-à-vis students from rest of the country.

The bill, which every political party in the state supports, seeks to upturn the SC order. The NEET, say TN politicians puts the students from rural areas who study in Tamil medium at a disadvantage as also it would be tough for first generation learners.

“The bulk of the students of the State who would appear for the NEET come from rural areas and facilities for them to access coaching classes to equip themselves for the said examination are not available and also due to paucity of funds and poor economic condition in which those students live,” the minister said.

The minister said the students in Tamil Nadu studied a different syllabus and those from CBSE studied a different syllabus.

DMK working president and ;eader of opposition, MK Stalin, had the other day demanded that the government come with the bill seeking to bypass NEET examination. If it does, the DMK will support it, he had said.

Jayalalithaa, wanted TN exempted from NEET, from the day she was relected as chief minister in May 2016.

Her first missive to the prime minister after swearing in again on May 23, 2016, was on this subject only, to thank him for promulgating an ordinance.